StateRates

Sanders County, Montana property tax

The median homeowner in Sanders County, Montana pays $1,777 a year in property tax on a home worth $323,800, an effective rate of 0.55%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.

Effective rate 0.55% #33 of 36 in Montana
Median tax bill $1,777 per year
Median home value $323,800 owner-occupied
Median income $54,035 household

What the rate means here

At 0.55%, Sanders County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. That puts the median bill at $1,777. Rates this low usually mean the state, rather than the county, carries more of the school funding.

It ranks #33 of 36 Montana counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.75%, and #2,264 nationally. The state runs from 1.52% in Blaine County down to 0.41% in Madison County.

The median home costs 5.99 times the median household income of $54,035, against 3.86 nationally, so housing absorbs an unusually large share of what people here earn. Renters pay 17.19% of median income in gross rent. This is a small rural county of 12,936 people. Five-year survey estimates for places this size carry wide margins of error, so treat the figures as approximate.

The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.

What that costs at different home values

$250,000 home $1,375 per year at 0.55%
$400,000 home $2,200 per year at 0.55%
$600,000 home $3,300 per year at 0.55%

Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.

Housing and income

Sanders County, Montana against Montana and the country
Sanders County Montana United States
Effective property tax 0.55% 0.75% 0.98%
Median tax bill $1,777 $2,535 $2,969
Median home value $323,800 $338,100 $303,400
Median gross rent $774 $1,031 $1,348
Median household income $54,035 $69,922 $78,538
Home price to income 5.99× 4.84× 3.86×
Rent as share of income 17.19% 17.69% 20.6%
Owner-occupied 79.97% 69.42% 65.02%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 12,936.

Nearby counties of similar size

Other Montana counties
County Rate Median bill Home value
Big Horn County 1.00% $1,482 $148,200
Jefferson County 0.56% $2,274 $408,000
Glacier County 0.81% $1,246 $153,400
Custer County 1.10% $2,242 $204,200
Fergus County 0.84% $1,709 $202,700

Sanders County property tax: common questions

What is the property tax rate in Sanders County, Montana?

The effective rate is 0.55% of home value, from a median tax bill of $1,777 against a median home value of $323,800. That is 0.43 points below the national 0.98%.

How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Sanders County?

Roughly $2,200 a year at the county effective rate of 0.55%.

Is Sanders County expensive compared with the rest of Montana?

It ranks #33 of 36 Montana counties by effective property tax rate, and #2264 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.2 points below the Montana average of 0.75%.

What does housing cost in Sanders County?

The median home is worth $323,800 and median gross rent is $774 a month. Median household income is $54,035, which puts the home at 5.99 times annual income and rent at 17.19% of it.